San Jose Sharks' Takeaways From Week One of Training Camp – Hockey Writers – San Jose Sharks

The first season of the San Jose Sharks is going well. We've seen almost the first full week of training camp with two preseason games, one against the Vegas Golden Knights and the other against the Anaheim Ducks. Now that all of that is in the books, let's dive deeper into what we've learned this past week.

Great Opportunities

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky can't be accused of making players fail when it comes to fighting for a roster spot. In the first game against the Golden Knights, Collin Graf was given an important starting line alongside William Eklund and Mikael Granlund to start the night, while Sam Dickinson and Jack Thompson were paired with Cody Ceci and Mario Ferraro respectively.

The new coach was giving all his young players a chance to shine alongside the players who will be in the opening night lineup, it was up to the individuals to make the most of their opportunity. Man of the hour, Macklin Celebrini, started on the second row alongside Klim Kostin and Tyler Toffoli. It is interesting that the three players who are currently fighting to try and get into the opening night line-up were all together on the fourth line as there was Givani Smith, Lucas Vanroboys and Ethan Cardwell.

Related: Get to Know San Jose Sharks Prospect Ethan Cardwell

In the game against the Ducks, Warsofsky had a very different lineup but continued to give the players every opportunity to succeed. Only Toffoli and Thompson returned from the first game. The second game was full of veterans when it comes to programming; the top lines consisted mainly of players who were almost in the NHL, but whose roles were unknown. Carl Grundstrom was paired with Alexander Wennberg and Toffoli, while the second row consisted of Barclay Goodrow, Will Smith and Fabian Zetterlund. Filip Bystedt and Danil Gushchin had Luke Kunin on the third row, the main row of the night.

Despite being on the third line, Gushchin made an immediate impact in that game. He scored the opening goal of the tournament, giving the Sharks the lead before the first half.

Third Time Celebrini

Celebrini did the little things well all game, but it was the third quarter where he made the difference since joining the Sharks. Whether it was in development camp, where his team trailed late and he brought them back, his one Rookie Faceoff appearance, or in the Vegas game, he plays very well in the third quarter. When time is up, he puts his team on his back and dominates. He scored two points in less than two minutes to turn the Sharks back from what looked like they were going to lose. If he enjoys this much pressure in exhibition games, imagine what he will be able to do in the future if the Sharks make it back to the postseason.

Representing the Stars

We all know how talented Celebrini is, and he showed it in his first outing at the SAP Center. That said, he also presents a different challenge to his opponents. Throughout the game, Givani Smith, Kostin, and others showed that there will be results following the Sharks' new star. When Kaedan Korczak hit Celebrini hard in the first half, Kostin quickly came back. Meanwhile, Smith took a number and when he and Korczak were on the ice together, he went straight to him trying to force the 23-year-old defenseman to fight. In the end, Korczak refused to drop the gloves, which may have added more frustration to Smith. Even though it was the first preseason game, the message was sent loud and clear, stay away from Celebrini or face the consequences.

The same message was sent when Jansen Harkins poked Will Smith in a game against the Ducks. A break in the middle of the check led to a big situation as the Sharks were not allowing anyone to get away with a cheap shot on their young players.

New Additions Flash

We've talked a little bit about Toffoli's performance in the first two preseason games, and he's certainly had an impact out of the gate, but he's not the only one. In the game against the Ducks, we saw that Wennberg and Jake Walman brought it to the table again, and they looked good. Wennberg scored the second goal of the game, which isn't something we'll see very often this season considering he's highly regarded for his playmaking ability, but he'll be a great fit for the Sharks in the middle. Walman recorded an assist on both Gushchin and Wennberg's goals.

Special Teams Get Off to a Hot Start

Against Vegas, the Sharks power play went 2/4 and their penalty kill was able to shut down the Golden Knights, killing all five penalties. Celebrini was a key part of the reason why the power play was so successful, as it seemed like the game plan was to play him as much as possible. In almost complete contrast to the second game against the Ducks, the Sharks' ability on the penalty kill faded, but the offense remained one of their strengths as they scored two goals on the man advantage.

Vanecek Looks Strong

Although I only played the first half of the second game, I liked what I saw from Vitek Vanecek. Not much is expected of him heading into the season, however, he will have to impress if he is to earn another contract when his current deal expires this coming summer. So far, though, he's off to a good start. He made some great saves, looked calm under pressure and looked fit. Because of this, he and Mackenzie Blackwood should have a big battle for the starting job this season.

No Surprises in the First Cut

The Sharks made their first round of practice roster changes after the game against Vegas, and there weren't many surprises. The big name was Aaron Dell, but there was no room for him given the number of pitchers already in the lineup. On defense, Gannon Laroque was an interesting name as I expected him to take a long time in camp before being assigned to the Barracuda, but the result is the same regardless of when it happens.

Moving ECHL?

Gabriel Carriere struggled to say the least against the Ducks. He allowed three goals on 11 shots in the second half after taking over for Vanecek midway through the period. He played one game for the Barracuda last season and struggled even in that exit. What I have seen of him so far leads me to believe that he is not quite ready to run in the American Hockey League (AHL), especially considering the Sharks will have Yaroslav Askarov and Georgi Romanov with the Barracuda. As a result, I would expect Carriere to start the season with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL to get more seasoning before moving up to the AHL full time.

All in all, it was an eventful first week of training for the Sharks. Things will undoubtedly get messy as we approach the season and tough decisions need to be made. Despite losing both of their preseason games, the Sharks already look like a more cohesive team than they did at any point last season, and we've yet to see who they'll be even closer to opening night.